Projective and enabling techniques in qualitative research are an important way of encouraging respondents to express thoughts and feelings that otherwise can be hard to capture, to be more articulate than they otherwise could or would be. Such techniques which can be used in branding and brand development research are guided fantasy and brand rooms.
Paula Scott 
16 Dec, 2008
Guided Fantasy and Brand Rooms
In guided fantasy, respondents are asked to take an imaginary journey that
is led by the moderator. During the course of this journey they are asked to
imagine various encounters and situations, to visualise these and imagine events
or outcomes along the way. This approach can be very useful in identifying
respondents’ feelings and associations about particular experiences or
product areas. Thus, it can have valuable use in both identifying respondents’ needs
(particularly at a sub-conscious level) and in providing inputs into possible
brand identity development.
The brand room or brand house technique is a specific variation on guided
fantasy and is a highly effective way of exploring respondents’ emotional
responses towards different brands. Respondents are asked to imagine each room
or house as a different brand and encouraged to describe the room or house
in terms of the décor, furniture, people, sounds, atmosphere etc. This
provides a rich and compelling portrait of how each brand being discussed fits
in the respondents’ minds and their overall feelings and perceptions
of them. It also highlights some of the deeper reasons as to why certain brands
are more favoured than others.
Both techniques require careful set up and tone to ensure that respondents
feel comfortable in their surroundings. Participants are often asked to close
their eyes, when either embarking on their journey or entering their specific
room or house. This helps them to become fully immersed in the exercise and
provides a more vivid description of their journey, room or house.
These approaches can be effectively used with all healthcare professionals when assessing the experiences they have encountered when treating and managing different conditions and their feelings and emotions towards various therapeutic brands.
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